


arrepentido

by demonhologram



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Bruce is 18, Even though that’s stated like twice within the first chapters, F/M, Jeremiah is 21, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-04
Updated: 2018-05-04
Packaged: 2019-05-01 21:55:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14530029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demonhologram/pseuds/demonhologram
Summary: jeremiah valeska didn’t want to corrupt bruce wayne, but he had to.he had to show the world how truly beautiful the brunet was by making the brunet show the world how strong he was. how anyone could break out of their mental cages, even gothams toughest billionaire.





	1. chapter one

jerome was finally dead. 

the clutches he held on jeremiah’s heart and mind were finally gone, he was free. he could do whatever, or whomever, he wanted, and there was no big, bad scary older brother holding him back. 

the gcpd actually trusted him, he had a secure home (since only he and jerome could crack it) if any of his brothers loonies tried to track him down and get their revenge. not that he’d exactly done anything, that was all on gordon. 

another thing jeremiah has was bruce wayne. sure, it was obvious his brother had a little bit of a stalkerish obsession with the wayne boy, but it was understandable why. and jerome was dumb enough to take the rough route, rather than getting wayne to trust him first. 

—

bruce wayne wasn’t a fool. he was childish at times, although masked it well, petty, dramatic and way too ambitious, which all equated to a some sort of wonderful bliss. but he wasn’t a fool. 

he’d been on edge even ever since jerome had passed, for the second time. mainly because it was the second time, meaning it wouldn’t have to be the last of those mangy copycats trying to get their grubby, demented fingers all over the psychopaths body, which was probably more than safe and secure this time around. 

but, deep down, an ugly part of him longed for the crazed redhead. hoped and prayed and wished it wasn’t the last time he was brought back, and although bruce would never do it as it would cause the city of gotham harm, he’d even had dreams of stealing a faceless corpse and resurrecting it, floods of hyenas attacking anyone who came to close to the opposite pair. 

alfred had instructed he should use a dream diary. bruce had, at first, declined the offer of getting anymore psychological analysis, since there had been way too much (and not even that much) of that since the alley. but it wasn’t a question, it was an order. 

so the brunet tried to change his dreams up, because he still wanted answers. the main representations were easy to figure out — the faceless man was jerome. the hyenas were a repsentation of either the copycats or just an extension to jeromes overly compensated personality. 

everyone else was anyone who would’ve thrown a fit if they knew about valeska and waynes deal. which would’ve been, well, everyone. 

he knew he’d been easy the first time jerome had given him any sort of propaganda. of course he’d declined it and called the redhead crazed, disgusting and plenty of other things, but they both knew he was just scared, really scared, because he wanted to give in to a psychopath. 

what’s worse is that he ended up actually doing it. again and again, until it became a regular thing for him to ‘run’ into jerome at night (he left to go on walks solely so he’d see the redhead, who’d be waiting in the bushes surrounding the manor, staring at the brunets window every wednesday, friday and sunday) accidentally. 

he didn’t think he’d be distraught by jeromes death, but he was. it was scary, and worrying and for a moment bruce wondered if he was just as sick as the redhead was. he’d been thinking that a lot since they started their thing. he couldn’t stop thinking about how if anyone knew he’d be locked up in arkham as well, probably. 

the things he felt for jeremiah valeska, almost instantly, also cut deep into his skin and twisted the knife around. and he couldn’t help but think of jerome, sometimes even see him instead of jeremiah. he wondered what the sane valeska son would think if he knew that. 

but everyone had things they thought about that they didn’t tell people, right?

so is bruce thought of jerome when he saw the familiar pale, freckled hands clutching the sheets and scarred skin or smooth and unhurt it wasn’t anyone’s business. 

jeremiah did the same. 

growing up with jerome did something to you. whether you were related or not, you’d still end up with sickening thoughts and jealousy for his carelessness and bravery. but jeremiah was related to him, so they weren’t just scary and bitter, they were graphic and realistic and ill imaginations rather than just thoughts.

and he wasn’t just jealous, he was extremely jealous. he didn’t want to be, but every time when they were kids and jerome dared him to pull a disgusting prank, jeremiah would say no, because he was the golden boy, the role model and he wanted to be nothing like his brother. but he knew, deep in his bones that he was. they were exactly the same. 

—

the start of this twisted story begins in wayne manor, at eleven pm on a friday night. 

fridays were bruces days off from everything. the days where he could be a normal teenager for once, mainly because alfred said he was stressing himself too much. 

he couldn’t help it. since jerome’s passing he’d been slacking with the whole defending gotham thing. nothing major had really happened anyway, but he felt slightly at loss for what to do. it felt slightly morally wrong to move on like nothing happened. 

they weren’t dating. but sometimes bruce forgot jerome was jerome. it made no sense, but when it was just them he was still dark and sinister and his hands were rough and dangerous but he wasn’t terrifying. he wasn’t scary to be around. he was just fun. but whenever bruce was kidnapped and put in front of a crowd, he could try and reach out to the softer side of the redhead but a blank wall would stare him back and he’d return to the thoughts of ‘am i really anything to him at all? am i his only toy?’

“wayne?”

bruce jumped from where he was sat behind the desk in the lounge. jeremiah valeska was stood at the door, alfred behind him with a concerned expression. “mr valeska, it’s good to see you.” he coughed, standing up, a guilty feeling rushing all over his body. he nodded at alfred, who glanced wearily around before smiling a little and hesitantly leaving. 

he didn’t like jeremiah all that much. something about him being like jerome, even if  
he wasn’t. he was still a valeska. bruce thought that was utter bullshit ; jeremiah escaped his brothers death grip on his life, they couldn’t be more different. (of course, bruce was also wrong). “what can i help you with?”

jeremiah seemed uncomfortable, really. bruce wondered how many people’s houses other than his own he’d actually been in. after talking with gordon he’d discovered jeremiah has practically been in hiding his whole life. “i actually came to see how you were doing.”

bruce’s eyebrows furrowed, and then he felt a sickening drop in his stomach. he couldn’t know, right? no one knew, and they weren’t at all obvious about it. how could anyone think you were fucking the guy who’d held you captive multiple times? “how i'm doing?”

jeremiah sighed slightly, shifting from foot to foot. both of them slowly walked forward until they were opposite one another in front of the fire, which was unlit but still let of a slight smell. “i know my brother had an affiliation for you. and i know that must have been scary, but you’ve got to understand that he hurt you and tried to kill a lot of people around you..”

oh god. he hadn’t really figured it out, but he was close. of course he was close, not only was he incredibly smart but he was also jeromes twin, and even if they didn’t think of the same things they still thought the same way. jeremiah suspected jerome was either a stalker or bruce had stockholm syndrome. “i'm fine. it’s strange to be rid of him, for good this time. reassuring.”

bruce hopes he was playing his part well, and guessed he was in result of the slight look of relief that radiated off of jeremiah's face. “that’s not why you came though, is it?” the brunet asked, his head tilting to one side slightly. their height difference really wasn’t that much. jeremiah was quite tall, as well, thinner and not as built as jerome but still a nice view. it made bruce a little happy though, knowing he wasn’t the shortest one like he was with jerome for a majority of the time. “you could’ve just called.”

jeremiah tried to hide the smile on his face. he wasn’t actually sure why he was there. he’d had a moment where he’d been paranoid and thought he couldn’t be wrong that jerome and bruce had something. but it was insane and sick, so it couldn’t be true. he was disgusted at himself for thinking the brunet would do something like that. 

“i was…”

“lonely?” bruce interrupted, which made it ten times easier for jeremiah to admit. yeah. that’s why. 

it’s almost like he’d blacked out on his drive to the manor. he was in a blissful state, blurry and distracted and not really thinking entirely for a reason as to why he was there. it wasn’t until alfred greeted him that he really snapped out of the state. nodding, he gave the smallest of smiles as an apology for dumping his seldom on the wayne boy. 

bruce however, didn’t mind it. he loved it, in fact. and that’s what made him slightly worried about himself. how he could go from grieving over a serial killer to being comforting and kind to said serial killers twin brother the same day. “i get lonely too, sometimes. alfred is great to have around, but he’s my guardian and my butler. everyone else i talk to is much older than me.” 

“i'm older than you.” jeremiah laughed, feeling slightly more at ease already. bruce wayne did that to people. he had the confidence and practise to be able to make anyone relax, even someone who’s house was a literal labyrinth that they very rarely left.

“yes, but i'm eighteen and you’re only twenty-one. i meant people from wayne enterprises and the gcpd.” bruce explained, briefly thinking about selina. but he wasn’t sure if he’d ever consider her a friend. she was much too selfish to really care about him and blamed him for every little thing that went wrong, anyway. it was exhausting. 

“you’re quite mature for eighteen.” jeremiah commented, the backs of his knees pressing into the pristine leather couch behind him. he hadn’t realised he’d moved back until then. 

“i have to be.” bruce replies simply, stepping forward a fraction. the simple movement made jeremiahs whole body feel like it was on fire. “weren’t you?” 

not really, no. he lied and manipulated his mother until she sent him away at ten, and kept living that lie. he was still living that lie, and he’d retold it just as fake to jim gordon. he knew he was the reason jerome was sick, but he couldn’t ever actually blame it on himself. he desperately tried to convince himself that jerome was born bad. messed up, yes, but he wasn’t always destined to be a killer. he could’ve had a life, but jeremiah took that away from him. 

“i suppose so.” the redhead lies, unknowing to the fact that they kept returning false answers to one another, burying themselves in an untrustworthy relationship without even knowing. “but i had to be.”

“so did i.” bruce started grimly, a soft expression of pain and hurt and deep love briefly showing on his face, and if jeremiah blinked he would’ve missed it. “i suppose we have that in common.” 

jeremiah moved closer ever so slightly. so did bruce. neither were really sure what they were doing, and it sure as hell didn't feel right. for bruce, it felt like the most disgusting and worst rebound, and for jeremiah it felt like he really was becoming his brother. but both were curious. “i suppose we do.”

bruce moves first. he had less to lose, or nothing at all, really, since he’d lost it forever. but at least this was legal in every way, and probably safe. 

his lips met jeremiahs in a frantic kiss, eagerly anticipated, both pushing back at each other, and soon jeremiah felt the brunets tongue greedily licking into his mouth. 

he was sat on the arm of the sofa now, his legs spread open and bruce stood in between them, bending down slightly to keep the kiss going. 

on repeat in both of their minds, nononoyesyesyes. because it was oh so wrong but it felt way too good to stop, and neither would say anything later on if bruce pulled jeremiah onto the sofa and straddled him, his fingers curling around the redheads neck. 

for a brief second, he swore the lips he was kissing felt cut at the edges, stretched out in a smile. his heart dropped and he felt sick to his stomach, pulling back instantly. jeremiahs—very much not cut up— lips turned down. “should we not have- oh god, i'm so sorry.”

he tried to gently move bruce off him, but the brunet clutched onto his shirt, long fingers digging into the skin below. “don’t be, please. i just…” he couldn’t explain why he’d stopped or why he felt weird. he really liked jeremiah, he did. but jeremiah wasn’t jerome, jeremiah would never be jerome. “i'm tired, is all. sorry.” 

jeremiah smiled a little, not enough. bruce never was a convincing liar, but the redhead decided not to push. bruce just wanted to forget everything, and surged forward again so their mouths melded together. it felt wrong though. jeremiah was too careful and cautious with him. he wanted hatred and demand all in one kiss. he needed it. 

so he pushed further, but jeremiah didn’t join in with the same electricity he had before. bruce pulled back, frowning. “i don’t think we should… um…” the redhead mumbled, moving one hand from bruces hips to rub at the the back of his neck. 

bruce felt his stomach sink in disappointment, but he moved off of jeremiah's lap to stand up nonetheless. coughing into the awkward silence, he pulled the sleeves of his sweater over his hands and took a few steps back. “i should go. good- goodnight jeremiah.” 

the redhead watched bruce shift around uncomfortably and frowned, gently reaching forward and circling his fingers around bruces wrist. “are you okay?” he asked quietly, piling the boy closer ever so slightly.

bruce felt his stomach flip at that simple phrase. he knew why. he knew it wasn’t because he had an innocent crush on jeremiah. the real reason made his stomach churn. “do you miss jerome?” 

oh. jeremiah knew what this was about. he wasn’t sure what sort of relationship his brother and the billionaire had, but he knew bruce was somewhat attached to the maniac. “every now and then i wonder if i should. but… i think i miss the idea of him more than, yknow.” jeremiah pulled on bruces wrist again, and the billionaire let himself step forward and stumble between jeremiahs legs, who lifted up his other hand to grab bruces. 

bruce nodded, closing his eyes and sighing. without thinking too hard, he sat down beside jeremiah on the sofa, curling his legs up so they lay across the redheads lap. “i understand that. you shouldn’t miss him, he threatened your life.”

“as he did to yours.” jeremiah reminded, swallowing and reaching up to gently run a hand through bruces hair. “he’s manipulative, wayne. and completely crazy.”

“i know.” bruce whispered, turning his head to lean it on jeremiahs shoulder. 

neither were sure why they were being so affectionate. jeremiah assumed it was because of two long lives of very little love from anyone, (although bruce at least had alfred) whilst bruce assumed it was the result of experiencing such a scary day side by side. 

“thank you for convincing me to go with you.” jeremiah said quietly after a minute or so of silence. “i'm not sure what would’ve happened if i didn’t. to you or gotham or anyone.” bruce smiled against his shoulder, squeezing his hand. it’s been a long day, and really, they both just wanted to sleep. 

“stay in my room?” bruce mumbled, hoping he wasn’t overstepping. judging by the gentle smile he caught in the corner of his eye on jeremiah's lips, he wasn’t. “alfred is asleep, most likely.” 

they did end up in bruces room, the door locked, curled in pristine grey sheets together, with tangled limbs. bruce was curled up on jeremiahs chest, his fingers dipping in between each bump of his ribcage, watching them rise and fall with the redheads breaths. 

they were in bed together, though not how either really expected it to happen, and happy. genuinely happy. which was a strange feeling for both, but nice. 

“i'm glad you’re safe.” bruce whispered when he was sure the redhead was asleep. 

was anyone ever really safe in gotham, though?


	2. chapter two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> god, how he wished he could take it all back. take back being so blind to think it was really from wayne enterprises, to stupid to assume it was safe. he’d changed and he couldn’t take it back.

jeremiah woke up first. 

it was to the gentle, quiet sound of the door handle being turned. he had a moment of panic, before realising they’d locked it. he listened to who he assumed alfred sigh, and turn away, before waking down the hall. then he focused his attention on the eighteen year old billionaire who had his face pressed into jeremiahs collarbone, more than half of his body on him too. 

but he looked peaceful when he slept. not having to brave the gcpd and gotham public or fake his personality at events. sure, jeremiah experiences a little of it the previous night, but the boy was so troubled that they’d barely talked about anything to do with them, really. 

then it hit him how strange this relationship was. because it was, wasn’t it? strange? they’d known each other for a day, and he personally had very little experience with speaking and interacting with people platonically, let alone in any other way. him and ecco has experimented, yes, but ultimately it didn’t really work out. not on his half anyway. 

jeremiah wanted to move. to creep back into the spare room he was supposed to be staying in. but he couldn’t bring himself to, especially not when bruce blinked sleepily and smiled against the redheads freckled, pale skin. “how long have you been awake?” 

“a while.” jeremiah answered honestly, resisting the urge to move his hand and touch the soft skin on bruces waist. neither really wanted to move, but both knew they had to. “i need to go back to my place today.”

bruces smile fell for a second. even he wasn’t sure why. it’s not like jeremiah could stay forever, even if he’d been expecting him to stay a little longer than just one night. “oh. that’s okay. i can get a cab for you if you wish” he paused for a second. “it’s been really nice having you here.” 

jeremiah felt a small panic in his stomach. “no, only to gather some things. i mean, if i'm allowed to stay longer.” he tried to cover up his frantic begging to stay, even if it were with fear. bruce used one arm to lean up so they could look at each other properly and smiled a little. 

“of course you can. do you want me to go with you?” bruce asked, blinking slowly and awkwardly shifting an arm around to place it on the side of jeremiahs neck, who was trying so hard not to smile, but sadly failing. 

“no, i think i’ll be quite alright. i’ll only be an hour or so, and i need to speak with ecco anyway.”

ah, yes, ecco. bruce has forgotten about her, really. she still existed, she still knew jeremiah well. he wasn’t sure how well and that didn’t settle too well with him. “right, okay. i’ll probably be training with alfred when you get back, but feel free to use whatever you want.” 

they both knew their little thing wasn’t a good idea, but jeremiah couldn’t help but lean down and press a gentle, hesitant kiss to the brunets jaw. he wasn’t stupid, he picked up on the split second jealously over the mention of his proxy. “where’s your shower?” 

“which one?” bruce grinned, rolling off of the redhead and stretching out his limbs. jeremiah rolled his eyes. 

—

jeremiah let bruce call a cab for him, despite constant playful bickering. they both showered individually and went downstairs to the kitchen, one at a time, where alfred had prepared a breakfast. bruce explained their plans and the butler seemed completely fine with that. 

before he think too much, jeremiah was in front of the ugly concrete block. and then he was inside, easily making his way through the labyrinth and reaching the main door, which opened very quickly, and he was attacked into a hug by none other than ecco. 

they weren’t really all that for affection, but he understood considering he was publicly taken hostage and kept with a bomb around his neck the previous day. she pulled back, though not before pressing a kiss against jeremiah’s lips. he felt a burning sensation of guilt for both her and bruce, though more so the billionaire. 

“god, where the hell were you?” she asked angrily, crossing her arms over her chest and ridding her face of any emotion she had before. jeremiah missed bruce already, and it was overwhelming. 

“i was invited to stay at wayne manor. i don’t feel comfortable staying here just yet, so i'm only here to pick up some things and then return. i'm not sure when i’ll be back, just yet.” he answered easily, robotically almost. that’s just how interacting with ecco worked. professional and straightforward. 

he noticed her frown slightly, but she nodded curtly. “shall i help pack?” 

“no. i uh…” he glanced at the floor and changed his footing. “i’d appreciate a little time alone, though im thankful for your concern.” she nodded again, stepping around him and letting him past. the door closed behind him, and he sighed loudly into his workspace. 

then he noticed it. a little packaged box on the table. 

god, how he wished he could take it all back. take back being so blind to think it was really from wayne enterprises, to stupid to assume it was safe. he’d changed and he couldn’t take it back. 

bruce got concerned by the sixth hour of him not returning, and not even having a call or a text. by the seventh hour, he was almost certain jeremiah had changed his mind about it all. their thing, staying at the manor, possibly even accepting the grant, now. 

by the eighth, he spoke to alfred of his concern. his butler did seem a little worried, though said to leave it for another hour before they made their way over there. during that ninth hour, bruce couldn’t stop moving. and almost exactly as those sixty minutes passed, he demanded they head to the concrete fortress. 

jeremiah was feeling a tad better when they arrived.

initially, he’d passed out and forgotten everything. then he began to remember, and demanded ecco stay away from him. his stuff was collected, yes, but he wasn’t sure he was to return to the manor. he didn’t want to, not with whatever the hell just happened. 

but, god, of course bruce showed up. on his own and being trusted to promise he was safe. jeremiah didn’t want to let him in, but the brunet looked so worried and clearly knew he was watching. 

the pale white skin and darkened lips had toned down after the hours of sitting alone, freaking out and scratching at his own arms. 

when the cold, concrete door slid open, bruce nearly fainted with relief when seeing a shaky jeremiah on the other side. he didn’t want to appear too over dramatic, so he stepped forward, swaying a little, and stopped less than a meter in front of the valeska.

“are you okay?” he asked quietly, immediately noticing everything wrong. jeremiahs hair was messier than it was when he left, like hands had been run through it over and over. his arms were scratched and bleeding in a few places, glasses on the table behind, though appearing to have been thrown carelessly, and he was only in a fancy shirt, crinkled and untidy, his trousers, with little scuffs in the knees, and his shoes. but, then bruce thought of ecco. 

“i'm not sure i should remain in wayne manor.” jeremiah said before bruce could mumble anything, his hands curling into fists almost in instinct. you’re such a pussy. stay with him. ruin him from the inside out. it’ll be fun. “i don’t think it’s safe for you.”

bruce tilted his head to the left ever so slightly, and jeremiah couldn’t help but mentally compare him to a puppy, confused and sad. boring. “i… i'm sorry, i don’t understand? i thought you weren’t comfortable staying here.”

jeremiah cleared his throat and shifted his shoulders. he felt like there were bugs all over him simply standing in the dreaded place, but he couldn’t say that to bruce. “well, upon returning i remembered that it's my home. i can’t let jerome win by taking it away from me.” 

“he almost won by making you build it in the first place.” bruce argued, his stomach feeling a little off and his hands shaking a tiny bit more than they were previously. “come back to the manor, please. if you’re not…” he trailed off, closing his eyes and sighing in frustration. “if you’re not comfortable having relations with me, that’s fine. but i want you to feel relaxed and i can clearly see you do not feel that here.”

jeremiah felt his heart drop. why did this stupid little wayne kid never give up? make him. show him who you really are. the redhead felt awful, watching brown eyes blink open with curiosity and heartbreak. 

he let his guard down. it wasn’t a good idea at all, but he needed to feel the smooth, tan skin and the solid heartbeat and flat chest that fit so well against his own. bruce opened his eyes upon hearing what sounded like a sigh of defeat, and recognised that jeremiahs usual wall of hiding any emotion was gone. though he didn’t really have any strong ones just yet, it was gone. 

so he stepped forward, shakily reaching up to flatten one of his hands against jeremiahs shoulder blade, and lifted his chin ever so slightly for their gazes to meet. “please come back with me. i swear to you that you won’t regret it. i can take care of you, okay?” he whispered, their lips just centimetres away now. 

“o-okay.” jeremiah replied, his voice wavering. but that was enough for the billionaire, who laughed out of excitement, surging forwards for their lips to meet in a demanding kiss. the redhead didn’t return it at first, mostly confused and annoyed at himself, but he slowly started to kiss back. 

the concrete door opened before they could get justifiability away from each other, and bruce choked on a panicked sob when he realised it was ecco and not alfred. he didn’t feel like having to explain that to his guardian just yet. 

still, she seemed pretty pissed off. “e-ecco.” jeremiah stumbled over his words, stepping forwards as if to shield the brunet. like bruce needed protecting from some angry, blonde nerd. “how can i help you?”

she seemed fiercely angry, glaring at bruce with such intensity. he glared right back. “how old are you?” she asked, challengingly. bruce nearly snorted with laughter.

“eighteen.”

“i'm twenty. do you know how old he is, little boy?” she asked, jabbing a finger at jeremiah, who opened his mouth to get her to calm down, but she kept talking. “twenty one. you might be legally an adult but that just means i can legally kick your ass.”

“ecco!” jeremiah interrupted, feeling all to put on the spot between the two hotheaded young adults. “this is bruce wayne. please don’t talk to him like that. we were just about to leave.”

she glared icily at the both of them then. bruce felt like he was on fire, and she eventually melted, visibly deflating. “of course. enjoy your stay at the manor, mr. valeska. have fun finding out every little secret, mr. wayne.”

jeremiah shivered as she turned and left. the brunet behind him stepped past, going straight for two of the three cases on the floor, picking it up and immediately leaving. he knew the exit due to a brief explanation after his visit with fox and gordon, though he still nearly messed up a couple times. 

alfred was stood outside of the car when bruce approached, and smiled at the billionaire and the genius who was on his tail. he took the cases from them and put them in the back, ordering them to climb in and relax after such a stressful day. 

the butler chatted happily on the way to the manor, receiving most replies from bruce, a few from jeremiah if he was spoken to directly. mostly the two men were glancing at each other for split seconds in the back. 

when they actually arrived, alfred informed them they were having pizza since he’d had no time to prepare an actual meal (he still made it from scratch) and said he’d inform them when it was ready. 

jeremiah instantly asked bruce if they could speak somewhere. bruce suggested the library, somewhere jeremiah was surprised he hadn’t actually visited yet. 

they both got changed into slightly more comfortable clothes (skin tight black jeans and a dark grey hoodie for bruce, maroon jeans and a dark blue shirt for jeremiah) and met there. it was silent at first, just small, polite smiles, and then jeremiah spoke. 

“it’s huge in here.” he breathed, looking around at the tall room, shelves and shelves of books everywhere, a sliding ladder and an actual desk like a receptions, plus the three single seats in front of an unlit fireplace. bruce hadn’t really been in there since his parents had passed away for the exact reason of their only being two residents to fill those chairs. now there were three again. 

“my father would obviously use it to store his books for work. my mother and i also used it, though. she’d read whatever we found interesting, no matter the genre to me, fiction or non-fiction, before bed at night.” bruce explained, walking over to one shelf and dragging a finger along it, collecting dust on his fingertip. 

“that’s sweet.” jeremiah spoke lowly, finding himself not really knowing what to say. that wasn’t a new feeling though. so vulnerable. he’d be so fun to destroy. strip him so he’s raw and burn him down with you. “when i was younger, i only had about six books. jerome would set anything i didn’t hide terribly well on fire, finding enjoyment in making my own home feel as impersonal as possible. but, years before that, he enjoyed reading too. i don’t know what happened.” jeremiah sighed, all his lies tangled together. he was no longer sure what was true and what wasn’t. his whole memory felt fuzzy after his day. 

“i'm sorry about ecco.” bruce frowned at the floor, his feet scuffing against it. jeremiah watched his little mannerisms, so sure that he was letting his guard down more than he would most places, maybe even anywhere unless he was alone. perfect opportunity. god, how he wished he could shut himself up. yourself, huh? that’s funny. i get it. 

“as am i. she isn’t… we tried to be like that, a long time ago. i told her it wasn’t working on my part but she didn’t care. i didn’t know anyone else so i let it happen. now i do. and i apologise.” jeremiah explained, sighing loudly before looking up at bruce again, who was staring back. the brunet gave a half assed smile, like he believed him but was still a little upset. 

without saying another word, bruce held out his hand. jeremiah took it and let himself be lead to the three chairs, then be pushed down into one of them. bruce crawled into his lap and leant his head against the older mans shoulder. “there’s three chairs for a reason, bruce.” jeremiah commented, but still shuffled around to get comfortable and wrapped his arms around the brunet. 

“i know.” bruce yawned, his fingers stretching out and then curling against jeremiahs clothes. both were thankful they were in slouchy things, making it so much more warm and comfortable than the previous night. 

alfred didn’t call them for another hour. bruce napped for about thirty minutes of that, but jeremiah didn’t get a single wink of sleep. he couldn’t stop the quiet murmurs of you could kill him right now. strangle him and watch him kick out, try to fight you. god, the fighters are irresistible aren’t they? is that why you like him so much? for me it was the resilience. and the hatred. 

because that’s the difference between jerome and jeremiah. whilst jeremiah found it funny if someone were to hate him, jerome would find it funny but he’d gain actual enjoyment out of hearing someone call him sick or demented.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, as you can see, this is going to be (im hoping) a little bit of a longer fic. it might seem like it’s moving fast but really i needed these are these as the starting points for the read of it. enjoy xx
> 
> p.s. sorry for any mistakes :)


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